Cleaning Tip: Don't Forget This Often-Overlooked Detail

We recently visited a friend's apartment that's on the market. They've staged the home beautifully and every last detail has been thoughtfully addressed to show the apartment in its best light at open houses. But on the way out, we noticed one small place they forgot to bring up to snuff, and we realized it could leave potential buyers and other visitors with a less-than-perfect impression of their nearly-perfect home...

The front door was extremely dirty. Covered with fingerprints and smudges, the door and its frame showed layers of dirt and smudges when the rest of the apartment could have passed a white glove inspection. We've seen this many times before, as doors and their frames are places we always touch but seldom think to clean.

All it generally takes to clean painted doors and frames is a damp cloth. A light once over and frames and doors can clean up to look as good as new. Also, don't forget similarly-overlooked high-use zones like light switches and the wall surfaces around them.

Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and children in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.